The Word Alive - Empire

Tyler "Telle" Smith has been quite a busy man (Telle, if your reading this, you probably saw it coming). His journey started in Emarosa, and he then moved on and started In Fear And Faith. From there he went on to play bass for Greeley Estates then finally landed the role of the frontman in the The Word Alive. You may see a correlation between these bands.

Empire opens with the track "Battle Royale" and comes in with a bang. Skillful drumming, power chords, great riffs, schizophrenic keys and great vocals are all displayed within the first track of the EP. The guitarists create heavy riffs and catchy solos throughout [/i]Empire[/i] (see "How To Build An Empire"). "Quit While You're Ahead" displays how quickly The Word Alive can transition from a soft tone to a heavy breakdown. "The Only Rule Is There Are No Rules" shows just how heavy The Word Alive can be. Opening with some deep growls, it continues with great riffs, an insane double bass and countless breakdowns throughout the song. The band can work great together and is shows on the track "Inviting Eyes." Some keyboardist in the metalcore genre do too much and it can get annoying but the keyboardist places everything well on Empire. "How To Build An Empire" opens with great effects and sounds like something In Fear And Faith would do (no offense, Telle).

Craig Mabbitt was the orignal vocalist for The Word Alive and left big shoes for newcomer Tyler "Telle" Smith, but Telle's growled and clean vocals are outstanding on Empire. His vocals are simple and make this EP so much better. The subjects are about life and are something we all can relate to. "Every single time I see your face/ it reminds me of why I walked away" is a perfect example.

The Word Alive have stepped it up and debut with a great EP. If you're a fan of Agraceful or Blessthefall, you'll sure to be a fan of The Word Alive's Empire.